Once you've recorded and mixed all the tracks for your CD, you need to put them in the correct order and make sure the album sounds cohesive when the songs are played back-to-back. This is called mastering, and you can do it one of two ways:
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You can master in the studio where you recorded. In this case, unless your studio has its own mastering equipment, you will simply be
essentially transferring your finished mix from one source to another, in the final order you've decided upon, with each song exactly at the volume you want it, and with an appropriate amount of space between each song (typically 3-4 seconds). You can also do a limited amount of "sweetening" (changing EQ and reverb settings on individual songs) in the studio at this point, although it's more awkward to do this here than it would be in a mastering house. |
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You can master in a bona fide mastering house, where you will enjoy many more creative possibilities. Mastering-house equipment allows you to edit your performance on a computer system. (For example: you can replace a poorly-sung chorus with a chorus borrowed from elsewhere in the song almost as easily as you "cut and paste" on a word processor.) It also allows you to add effects like cross-fades from one song to another, and more. But perhaps the most important advantages of going to a real mastering facility are the following: 1) employing a fresh set of professional ears (the mastering engineer) during this last opportunity to tweak the sound of your recording, and 2) the chance to hear your songs on a fresh set of studio monitors (speakers), so you can hear how the mixes sound in a new environment.
If you are not already hooked up with a high-quality mastering facility, Oasis offers you the exclusive opportunity to work with our in-house mastering team at a fraction of what you'd pay if you weren't our replication client. We will bring the broadcast-ready shine to your recording. Our work is 100% guaranteed; we will polish it 'til you love it. |
After your recording is mastered, LISTEN TO YOUR MASTER -- every single second of it -- before sending it off.
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Oasis Disc Manufacturing is a member of the Better Business Bureau.
